Back to school time came quickly for us this year.  I felt barely ready for the early mornings, 20 papers to sign each day, and making sure we had lunch stuff on hand to make lunches.  As we tweak our routine there are some things that have helped that I thought I would share.

Michelle over at Make 5 Dinners in One Hour, has a wonderful tutorial on pre-making lunches for the whole week.  This works well for homeschoolers too!  It will save you time and stress.

I purchased the Well Planned Day, On the Go Planner for this year.  For years now I have used Google calendar to keep all of the homework assignments, snack days, field trips, etc… straight. I have loved that I can add to it with my iPhone as well.  However, this year I felt the need to have a calendar that I could see everything that is coming up ahead of time and that I could write in.  The Well Planned Day Planner is so much more than a calendar! It is a meal planner, gift organizer, budget keeper and more all rolled into one.  Last year I LOVED using the Well Planned Day Homeschool Planner for myself (best homeschool mom planner EVER, if you ask me!) and the student versions for my kids. Since all of my school age kids are going to school this year I look forward to having the benefits of the planner again in the non homeschooling version.

Last but not least we are ironing out our after school routine.  It takes some getting used to when you’ve had a whole Summer to get out of the routine!  Our schedule looks something like this:

1. 30 minutes for snack and “debriefing” after school
2. Homework completed
3. Lunches prepared for following day
4. Free time.
5. Before dinner chores
6. Dinner
7. After Dinner Chores
8. Get ready for bed, including lay out clothes and shoes for tomorrow.

This plan makes morning time much more stress free and enjoyable for everyone!

How’s your back to school routine going?  Do you have any suggestions for what is working for you?  Anything not working?  I’d love to hear from you!